In the woods along the Tibagi River hydrographical basin, in areas subject to periodical flooding, the incidence of S. commersoniana is usual, it often becoming the prevailing species. Plants of this species were kept in well drained and flooded soils for two months, in order to explain some aspects of tolerance to waterlogging. After this period, some plants were returned to the well drained soil in order to check the species behaviour in the re-aeration period. In the roots, flooding induced, an increase of intercellular spaces as well as a thickening of the cortex, and a reduction in the thickeness of the central cylinder. Flooded plants grew less than the control ones, and developed hypertrophic lenticels and some adventitious roots. The re-aired plants recovered in growth. It can be suggested that the morphoanatomical modifications observed are important to explain the tolerance of this species to flooding, if we take into consideration the obtained results, together with those obtained in the literature about floristic and phytosociology, as well as in that dealing with biochemistry.
Ecological anatomy; hypoxia; Sebastiania commersoniana
